Toaster



J. WORON July 14, 1964 TOASTER Filed Aug. 2, 1963 INVENTOR JOSEPH WORON United States Patent O 3,140,650 TOASTER Joseph Woron, 2813 Ashbury Ave., Cornwells Heights, Pa. Filed Aug. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 299,552 3 Claims. (Cl. 99-329) This invention relates to an improvement in automatic toasters.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement for controlling the movement of the toast trays. In that connection, it is proposed to provide a spiral shaft which is rotated a single turn during the descent and ascent of the trays, and which is temporarily restrained in the up or down position of the trays by a notched disc controlled by a spring biased electromagnetically operated latch in circuit with the conventional thermostat and timer of the heating circuit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and practical and reliable structural arrangement which lends itself to convenient standard manufacturing and assembling procedures.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toaster including the present improvements.

FIG. 2 is a detail perspective view showing the toast tray controlling means in its lowered position from which it is released after the toasting has been completed.

FIG. 3 is a detail cross-sectional view looking down upon the disc and the latch means for holding the same to effect the toasting operation.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

The toaster includes an outer casing A having top openings B, an inner stationary frame C, a bottom wall D, and a front wall having a vertical slot (not shown) for a handle H connected to a movable frame F adapted to be manually pressed down by said handle to lower the toast trays T. The features just described are conventional to toasters in general.

The top wall 1 of the fixed frame C is provided with elongated parallel openings 2 for exposing the said toast trays T, of the inner movable frame F. The top wall 1 also has a forwardly projecting tongue 3 overhanging the front wall 4, and said tongue is provided with a circular opening 3a for reasons which will hereinafter more fully appear.

The front wall 4 of the frame is formed with parallel laterally spaced vertical slots 5, and, is further provided medially between said slots near its lower end with an offset tongue 6 also having a circular opening 6a for registering with the circular opening 3a of the upper tongue 3.

The movable frame F has a pair of forwardly projecting arms 7-7 guided in the slots 5. The arms 7-7 are connected by cross member 8, and, together, these parts form a carriage whose medial portion is of substantially cruci-form formation and lends itself to the provision of the upper and lower horizontally offset vertically spaced flanges 9 and 10. These flanges also have circular openings 9a and 10a registering with the openings 3a and 6a of the flanges 3 and 6.

The above-described carriage is held in its uppermost position by a iiat zig-zag type of contractile spring S. That is to say, one end of the spring is attached to the upper tongue 3 and its lower end is connected to the lower flange 10 of the carriage so that when the movable frame 3,140,650 Patented July 14., 1964 ice F is pushed down by the handle H, the spring is tensioned, and, when the frame is timed for release, the spring retracts and lifts the frame.

One of the arms 7 carries a downwardly projecting actuator portion 7a whose lower end is intended to engage a push button 7b of a push-pull type switch 7c included in the usual heater circuit.

A spiral shaft 11 is rotatably mounted in the circular openings 3a, 6a, 9a, and 10a, of the offset vertically spaced elements 3, 6, 9 and 10.

Between the iianges 9 and 10, the spiral shaft engages loosely in the rectangular opening of a nut 12 fixed to the medial portion of the cross member 8 connecting the arms 7 and forming a part of the carriage for the toaster trays.

The lower end of the shaft 11 carries a disc 13 which makes one complete revolution for each complete turn ofthe spiral shaft under the influence of the nut 12. This disc releasably holds the carriage in its up or down position through a peripheral notch 14 engaged by the end 15 of a latch 16. This latch is biased by the spring 17 so that the notch 14 normally engages the periphery of the disc 13 and can come to rest in the notch 14, when the trays T are either in their uppermost or lowermost positions.

The pivoted latch 16 is in turn controlled by a solenoid magnet M in circuit with the conventional heater circuit and its timer means for regulating the length of the toasting period.

As the toast trays are pressed down by the handle H, the shaft 11, the cross section of which is rectangular to agree with the opening in nut 12, is rotated until arm '7a engages 7b of the switch 7c to close or initiate the heating circuit. At this point the apparatus will appear as shown in FIGURE 2 wherein it will be seen that the end 15 of latch 16 is urged by spring 17 into the notch 14 of the disc. The latch remains engaged until the toasting time has expired as determined by the conventional thermostat (not shown) in the heating circuit. Completion of the toasting time causes actuation of the solenoid magnet M to attract the arm 16h of the latch 16 which will disengage the end 15 from the notch 14 in the disc. At this point the retractile spring S is free to pull the carriage, including nut 12, and toast trays upwardly while turning shaft 11 to bring the notch 14 back into engagement with the end 15 of the latch.

I claim:

l. In a toaster having a timed heating circuit including a push-pull switch (7c) and an electromagnet (M),

an inner frame (F) having a front wall (4),

a carriage (7-l-8-i-9-i-10) mounted for sliding movernent on said front wall,

a retractile spring connected With said inner frame (F) and said carriage (7, 8, 9, 10),

a nut (12) having an opening (13) of substantially rectangular cross section mounted on said carriage, a spiral shaft (11) threaded into and adapted to be actuated by said nut (12),

a disc 13) carried by said spiral shaft (11) and having a notch,

and latch means (15, 16, 17) normally spring biased to maintain said latch engaging said notch (14), said latch means responsive to said electromagnet to release the latch from the notch (14) in the disc (13) to permit the spiral shaft to turn under the iniluence of the said carriage.

2. In a toaster having a timed heating circuit, including,

a push-pull switch (7c) and an electromagnet (M),

an inner fixed frame (F) having a front wall (4) provided with vertical slots (5), said push-pull switch (7c) being located at the bottom of one of said slots (5),

a carriage including arms (7, 7) guided in said slots and connected by a cross member (8),

a retractile spring connected with said inner fixed frame (F) and said carriage (7, 8, 9,

an upper tongue (3)l and a lower tongue (6) on the xed frame,

spaced flanges (9+10) on the cross member (8),

a nut (12) having an opening (13) of substantially rectangular cross section on the cross member,

a spiral shaft (11) threaded into and adapted to be actuated by said nut (12),

a disc (13) carried by said spiral shaft (11) and having a notch,

and latch means (15, 16, 17 normally spring biased to maintain said latch engaging said notch (14), said latch means responsive to said electromagnet to release the latch from the notch (14) in the disc (13) and permit the spiral shaft to turn under the influence of the said carriage.

3. In a toaster' having a time-controlled heating circuit contained within an outer casing (A),

an inner Xed frame within the casing having a top wall (1) and a front wall (4) having vertical guide slots (5),

vertically spaced horizontally disposed upper and lower tongues (3, 6) projecting outwardly from the front wall (4) and having registering openings (3a and 6H),

a toast supporting unit in the frame and having arms (7) projecting through the said vertical guide slots (5),

a carriage including a cross member (8) carried by said arms (7 and having upper and lower spaced offset flanges (9-1-10) provided with openings registering with each other and with said openings (3a and 6a) in said tongue,

a Switch actuating member (7a) on one of the arms (7 a push-pull switch included in said heating circuit closed by said actuatingV member (7a) upon its full descent to energize the heating circuit,

a spiral shaft (11) mounted for rotation in the openings (3a and 6a) of said upper and lower tongues (3, 6) and also in the registering openings of the anges (1, 10) of the carriage,

retractile spring S having its upper end anchored to the inner frame and its lower end connected to the carriage,

a disc (13) on the lower end of said shaft and having a peripheral notch (14),

nut (12) on the carriage between said upper and lower tongues and having a rectangular hole for loosely receiving and propelling said spiral shaft as the carriage (8, 9, 10) moves upwardly and down- Wardly,

a latch (14, 15, 16, 17) normally spring biased toward the periphery of the disc and engaging said notch, and a solenoid magnet (M) included in said heating circuit and adapted to be energized when said pushpull switch is closed to release the latch from the notch in the disc (13).

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,778,997 Drysdale Oct. 21, 1930 2,585,885 White Feb. 12, 1952 2,693,141 Johnson et al. Nov. 2, 1954 2,857,838 Palmer Oct. 28, 1958 3,035,509 Lawser May 22, 1962 

1. IN A TOASTER HAVING A TIMED HEATING CIRCUIT INCLUDING A PUSH-PULL SWITCH (7C) AND AN ELECTROMAGNET (M), AN INNER FRAME (F) HAVING A FRONT WALL (4), A CARRIAGE (7+8+9+10) MOUNTED FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT ON SAID FRONT WALL, A RETRACTILE SPRING CONNECTED WITH SAID INNER FRAME (F) AND SAID CARRIAGE (7, 8, 9, 10), A NUT (12) HAVING AN OPENING (13) OF SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR CROSS SECTION MOUNTED ON SAID CARRIAGE, A SPIRAL SHAFT (11) THREADED INTO AND ADAPTED TO BE ACTUATED BY SAID NUT (12), A DISC (13) CARRIED BY SAID SPIRAL SHAFT (11) AND HAVING A NOTCH, AND LATCH MEANS (15, 16, 17) NORMALLY SPRING BIASED TO MAINTAIN SAID LATCH ENGAGING SAID NOTCH (14), SAID LATCH MEANS RESPONSIVE TO SAID ELECTROMAGNET TO RELEASE THE LATCH FROM THE NOTCH (14) IN THE DISC (13) TO PERMIT THE SPIRAL SHAFT TO TURN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SAID CARRIAGE. 